Mentorship Model

The LeapIT

Mentorship is a key differentiator in our training program.

A core component of our workforce development is to Develop customized and productive teams through a Train-Coach-Mentor-Immerse program. Our Mentorship Model supports our candidates along their journey and advocates for them being hired by LeapIT Clients.

Our fundamental belief is that no one is successful alone. Although each LeapIT associate has Team Leads they can lean on for hands-on, client focused support, their Mentor is there for them too. The Mentor program is designed to complement, supplement and guide each LeapIT Mentee to the best possible outcome through an established relationship of trust and support. The intent is to develop supporting relationships that extend beyond the work tasks at hand, with spot coaching and long term career development in mind. We’re not trying to force a relationship, but aiming to set up a framework to make a successful Mentorship relationship possible.

The Power of Mentorship

Our Mentors

Mentors have been selected for a number of common reasons. Each has established an IT career and all come from various backgrounds and circumstances. All have proven their ability to operate at the highest possible level of integrity, ethos, work ethic and team first mentality. All have expressed a desire to give back and provide mentorship by paying their experiences forward to help others. They not only share their technical expertise, they help their Mentees develop the soft skills needed to excel in the workforce.

Mentor Commitments

The Mentor role for LeapIT is a voluntary function providing non-binding experiential advice, guidance and insight to LeapIT Candidates and Employees. Each Mentor is provided with a set of topics and supporting material to initiate, guide conversations while allowing the relationship with the Mentee to develop. These experiences will be provided through three forms of commitments:

Mentor attendance in classes, including kickoffs
Monthly Mentee meetings, covering topics or events to support Mentee
Ad hoc conversations and support
Feedback and supporting evaluation during six month review process

Mentee Commitments

The Mentee commits to the Mentorship Model and will demonstrate commitment by doing the following:

Mentees must initiate and schedule a minimum of 3 meetings with their Mentor per quarter
Mentees must address at least 6 of the provided topics
During the first Performance Management 90 day review, Mentees reflect upon the strength of their relationship with their Mentor learnings gained within the Mentorship Program
Mentees must fully participate to get the most out of this experience

LeapIT Culture

Be Kind • Be Humble • Be Resilient

These three core beliefs are integrated into everything we do at LeapIT. We infuse these values into the Mentorship Program in the following ways:

Be Kind.

Treat others how you want to be treated. Everyone is a customer or a potential customer and be constantly vigilant to delight your customer. Customer experience matters. Each Associate, Mentor and Team Lead is an ambassador for the rest of us. Studies consistently show that people remember how you make them feel during a conversation more than what is actually said.

Be Humble.

There is always someone who has it better, and someone who has it worse. We live in the greatest country on earth and should be thankful for the benefits of freedom we all enjoy. Hard work always pays off and is good for the soul. The opportunities in front of all of us are profound - especially in the world of IT.

Be Resilient.

It is never a question IF there will be a challenge but when. We embrace challenges as they afford us all an opportunity to understand, adapt and overcome - making us better people.

In the Mentorship Program, we encourage our Mentors to:

Actively explore ways to advocate for their mentee and develop a bond
Communicate openly with LeapIT to ensure Mentees are being supported to the greatest extent possible
Share their unique background, talent and experience - being vulnerable
Take their time to truly understand what drives their Mentee and what obstacles are in their way
Encourage Mentees to develop relationships with Team Lead, client and LeapIT management team
Recognize when you may not be able to solve problems - and in that case, just advise and guide
Understand that many of the Mentee challenges may not be work related at all
When appropriate, communicate observations, coaching recommendations and improvement opportunities of the LeapIT Mentorship Model to LeapIT to foster continuous improvement

To protect the integrity of the Mentor/Mentee relationship, we discourage:

Putting either party in uncomfortable positions
Discussing items Mentors believe may be confidential outside of the Mentor program
Over or under committing time to the program

While rare, it may be necessary to switch mentors. LeapIT is prepared to do so as circumstances may arise that none of the parties had anticipated.

Example Mentor Topics

Seeding topics for discussion has proven to help build and foster the relationship between Mentor and Mentee. It also builds the experience portfolio of the Associate as they enter a new professional environment. The following are a small sample of topics that Mentors and Mentees are required to discuss during their formal tenure in the program. LeapIT provides talking points, examples and supporting data, but enough of an open framework to afford the Mentor to share their experiences to shape the discussion.

Team Building and team dynamics
Getting along with your direct supervisor
Cultural observations while on assignment
Business travel tips
Expense tips
Performance management and improvement

Working on distributed teams
Waterfall and Agile Brackish water
Working with IT Vendors and contractors
Working with Offshore Resources and Vendors
Continuous improvements and self-investment